Crosse My Heart
by MissAvize
Summary: Marie Kanker has just moved back to Peach Creek after being away for most of her high school education. Finding the past object of her affection (whom she no longer has feelings for) dating the last person she would have guessed she finds herself being steadily attracted to the most popular girl in school.
1. The First Day

_I'd first like to start off by thanking tumblr users c2ndy2c1d and l0ve-lyfe for getting me into_

_Ed Edd n Eddy ships. I'd also like say that this is my first fanfic I have ever written. Please leave_

_me reviews and comments and suggestions and stuff, I'll take anything I can get. My tumblr is_

_MissAvize, which I'll be posting updates and stuff on. I'm not sure if M is an accurate_

_rating, but I do use the f-word a few times, maybe T would be better? I don't know. Well, I hope_

_you enjoy!_

* * *

If there was one thing that Marie Kanker hated above all else it was the sound of the alarm clock as it penetrated her deep sleep and ripped her from whatever dream she instantaneously forgot as her eyes fluttered open, lashes caked with the mascara she forgot to remove the night before, and proceeded to throw the damn thing across the room.

"Fuck..." she muttered under her breath as her legs slipped out from under the ratty bedspread and she traveled the few feet across the room to the still-beeping black box, ignoring the off switch and removing the batteries from their niche; every morning she did this and every evening she had to remember to reset the time. The racket she made did not go unnoticed, her younger sister May sat up in her bed, her long blond hair piled atop her head in what could only be described as a clusterfuck.

"Go back to bed May, you still have another hour before you have to wake up."

Peach Creek trailer park was where they grew up, and where they now resided, spending most of their time chasing the Ed's or playing in the woods between the trailer park and the junkyard. Marie looked back on those memories with some fondness, some embarrassment, as she collected bread, milk, eggs, and the other ingredients she needed to make french toast for her and her younger sister. Lee, the oldest Kanker sibling, dropped out of school the year prior and decided to move out on her own in a neighboring town just before the move back to Peach Creek, causing a bit of sourness between Marie and her older sister.

Marie was now stuck protecting May, who was still in middle school because of her atrocious grades.

By the time May emerged from their shared bedroom the small two-bedroom trailer smelled like breakfast links and vanilla, and the small table had place settings for two people.

"Is mom not eating this morning?" May asked groggily, scratching behind her ear as she sat on the ugly vinyl kitchen chairs. As if to answer the young girls question a thick woman with hair matching their missing sister appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, the sound of a flushing toilet being the only thing in her wake.

"Of course I'm eating you stupid girl. Why are there only two places set?" she barked at her blond-haired daughter, causing Marie's expression to sour and May's eyes to turn downcast.

"Because I ate as I fucking cooked." Marie's tone was just as fierce as her mother's and without another word the woman began to dig in, shoveling sausage and french toast into her poorly lined lips. Preferring not to watch the massacre, her mother's eating habits being comparable to hyenas on the African plains, Marie decided to ready herself for her first day of high school back in Peach Creek. She wasn't exactly looking forward to school, it was early April and switching districts so late in the year would only prove a hassle to the 16-year-old junior.

The first thing she did was lay out an outfit for her sister, who really shouldn't be allowed to dress herself (if Marie let her she'd probably just leave the trailer in her slippers and pajamas, forgetting everything but the head on her shoulders) and readied the new school supplies purchased at the local pharmacy the day before. Marie then moved to the small dresser in the corner of the room where her clothing was stored, pulling a pair of jeans, a couple of tank tops to layer, and a cardigan from the top drawer. Before she had finished dressing herself for the day she added a studded belt around her waist, a pair of leather ankle boots, and a vintage-style headband, her blue locks pulled up into a loose bun, strands framing her face.

"Marie, are you nervous about your first day?" came May's voice as she re-entered the small bedroom, receiving a response in the form of a curt shake of the head. Nervous was not the emotion she would have chosen to describe how she was feeling as she pulled a brush through her sisters hair, irritated would have been a more accurate adjective. When all the tangles were out of the May's hair Marie collected her own school supplies, throwing them haphazardly into the black messenger bag she had been using since the beginning of her high school education.

"Have a good day at school May, make sure you pay attention." were her parting words as she left the room, then the trailer, her aim the small high school on the outskirts of the town. The walk there was slightly colder than the teen expected and she was glad she didn't run into some of the others she had known from her past (being quite the bully in her middle school years she was sure they threw a party when the three sisters moved out of Peach Creek two and a half years ago). She kept her pace leisurely as she walked, not wanting to arrive at the brick building any sooner than she had to, and the early spring breeze cut through the thin cardigan with ease raising goosebumps on the slender girl's arms. When she finally arrived at Peach Creek High School there was already quite the swarm of teens buzzing around the hive, getting in and out of automobiles or standing just off school property holding their arms close to their bodies with a cigarette in hand.

The main entrance was two nondescript metal doors set atop two cement stairs, stairs Marie reluctantly climbed wanting nothing more than to forgo this attempt at education and go anywhere else. Pushing the doors open she entered the hall of the school, the main office set right in front of her, a counter separating the area where the adults worked from the students. She approached the counter looking at the various notices for upcoming sports and clubs, a fluorescent blue notice catching her eye.

"May I help you, Miss?" came the voice of a pleasant-looking young woman behind the counter, invisible until you were standing right up on the counter. She was wearing a pair of cats-eye glasses and her short sandy hair was styled into soft waves; from the neck up she looked straight out of the 50's.

"I just transferred here, today is my first day." Marie's voice sounded, louder than usual as people stopped in the hallway, chatting among themselves about what Marie could only assume was the new transfer student. The looks on their face confirmed that when she wheeled around to shoot them a dirty look, seeing a familiar face or two among the crowd but not looking long enough to match a name to the faces.

By the time the woman had all the necessary paperwork in Marie's hands the school bell had rung signaling the start of classes and there was no longer any disturbances in the hallway, save the occasional late student asking for a hall pass. Marie held her new schedule in one hand, sliding the notice that caught her eye into her bag with the other. Her first class was English, a favorite subject of hers next to art and gym, and when she finally reached the classroom her face fell as she looked through the small window in the door and spied not one but three of the kids, now older teens, from the cul-de-sac. Kevin sat in the front of the class, dressed in what appeared to be a tight shirt reminding Marie of a baseball jersey, towards the middle of the class sat a kid whose name she couldn't quite remember, though he did still have that stupid piece of wood sticking out of his bag on the floor, and in the back of the class sat the blond-haired beauty of the cul-de-sac; Nazz.

The arrangement of the friends suggested to Marie either seating was alphabetical or there was a falling out among the friends, though a glance from Kevin to Nazz proved the first option to be true, the face Kevin made when the teacher turned around to write something on the board could only be one of friendship. There was one seat left in the class, towards the back, right next to the girl with the blond hair who was stifling giggles.

The door handle whined as Marie turned the brass knob, gaining entrance into the classroom, causing the students and teachers to turn and face the new arrival, a scowl beginning to pull down the corners of the blue-haired girls lips.

"Ah! I heard there would be a new transfer student but I didn't think it would be today. Everyone, this is..." the balding English teacher looked down at a piece of paper on his desk, pausing to scan the list of students until his eyes fell on what he was looking for. "Marie Kanker, she'll be joining us from today on. Please take a seat in the back next to Nazz and we'll continue the lesson, at the moment we're discussing the most recent book assignment, The Princess Bride." Marie nodded at the teacher and began to make her way down the aisle of desks, earning a dirty, almost protective, look from Kevin and flinches from the wood guy and a few other students she may have known in middle school. Whispers erupted behind her as she moved to sit down next to one of the few kids whose name she remembered from when she initially lived in Peach Creek, and it surprised her when the fashionable blond met her with a hesitant smile.

"It's been awhile, Marie, how have you been?" Nazz asked while the teacher tried to get the rest of the class under control. He was failing miserably. Nazz's question took Marie by surprise, leaving her speechless. Fact was, out of all the kids in the cul-de-sac Nazz gained a lot of contempt from the three Kanker sisters because of the Ed's attraction to the girl.

_She should be glaring at me, not making polite conversation, kind of like that douche in the front of the room._ Marie's eyes had fallen on Kevin, who had his phone in one hand texting someone without looking at the black rectangle, his eyes were trained on Marie's face with a look of disdain coloring his features.

"What the fuck is his problem?" came her response to Nazz's question, shooting Kevin a dirty look and taking the blond aback at the abruptness of the question. Following Marie's eyes Nazz let out a chuckle as she recognized who the subject was of Marie's dirty look, the chuckle breaking Marie's eye contact and causing the blue-haired girl to look at her neighbor.

"What's so funny?"

"He's probably worried you might try to take the object of his affection away, he and Double D have been an item for a few months now and you've always been...aggressive in the pursuit of the Edd." The comment made Marie let out a curt laugh, not that she found their relationship funny, maybe a little unexpected, but more because Kevin seemed to expect she'd be the same obsessed 12-year-old she had been in middle school. She hadn't thought about Eddward for at least a couple of years now and had matured a bit since she spent her time chasing the genius around. Still, such a prime chance to mess with someone didn't always present itself so readily.

"Didn't you know, that's why I came back." she said sarcastically, causing Nazz to choke back a laugh and Kevin's eyes to narrow in curiosity and contempt, wondering what the two girls were talking about. Marie locked eyes with the red-head in the red baseball cap and winked at him suggestively, mouthing a question to the jock. "Is Double D still a hot piece of ass?"

The reaction was instantaneous, Kevin's face turning red with anger and embarrassment at the blunt statement. It was, however, cut short with a foreboding ahem at the front of the class signaling that the teacher was no longer going to deal with the interruption. Kevin jumped and wheeled around to face the board and Nazz choked back another giggle.

"Now we're going to weed out the people who read the book from the people who thought the movie would suffice. Nazz, seeing as you think this is such an amusing lesson, will be the first victim. What fate met Buttercup when she dove off the side of her kidnapper's boat?" The class turned toward Nazz as they waited the agonizing seconds for her answer. Nazz deadpanned, the amusement at her new neighbor's exchange with her friend long forgotten, truth was one of the kids that rented the movie, and on top of that English wasn't a strong subject for her.

Next to her Marie had taken a notebook out of her messenger bag and began to doodle with a green pen, tapping her neighbor with her foot when she finished the quick sketch of a fin breaching triangular waves. She knew the trick question, in the movie it had been shrieking eels, but she had read the book at least twice since she started high school and with Nazz being nice to her she figured she'd help the girl out.

"Sharks?" Nazz seemed to ask, her eyes covertly falling on the little doodle in the notebook. The teacher nodded in response and moved on to other students who were trying to slyly hold conversations or texting. The rest of the class went without very much incident, though Marie was rather amused when Kevin got the question directed at him wrong. Being the new kid fit her preferences well, though she knew the answers to the questions the teacher asked she wasn't the kind to raise her hand to answer, and because she was new the teacher didn't call on her for an answer. When the bell finally chimed Marie's notebook had already been placed back into her messenger bag so she stood up hastily and made for the door to the hallway which was already bustling with life.

According to one of the papers Marie had folded into the front of her jeans her locker wasn't that far from her next class and she found it with ease, twisting the little dial to the proper numbers, taking a couple of times and a bit of patience she didn't have to get the rust color atrocity open. Inside smelled like stale air and there was old tape marking decorating the back of the door. Piling her notebooks into the space she hung her bag up on the little hook. It wouldn't be until later that she would receive any textbooks and there was no use in carrying more than one notebook and a pen around with her.

A light tap on her shoulder caused her to just about jump out of her skin, turning on her heel her eyes fell on her new english neighbor. Getting a fuller look of the girl Marie noted she was still taller and dressed fashionably. She reminded Marie of a cupcake.

"I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out in class like that, I've never had the best grades in English, and I haven't exactly read the book." Nazz said pleasantly, her tone turning a bit mischievous towards the end of her sentence. Nazz smiled at the blue-haired girl causing Marie to return the smile and her eyes darting to the left as she felt a slight pounding in her chest as Nazz cocked her head to the side.

"It was no problem. Uh - thanks for not being a dick to me like you probably should have been." Her voice sounded a little unsure as she spoke but the bell gave Nazz no time to respond.

* * *

_Also, for visuals on their outfits:_

_Go to polyvore's website and add this after the dot com:_

_/nazz_fanfic/set?id=81000201_

_/marie_kanker_fanfic/set?id=80998067_


	2. A Few Old Friends

_Oh my god. Sorry if it sucks, I knew what I wanted to do_

_but when it came to typing some of it I just didn't know_

_what word to use. Also, credit to tumblr user c2ndy2c1d_

_for the creation of Nat, and thank you for letting me use_

_him._

* * *

The rest of her morning classes passed without much incident, she was made to introduce herself in art, but her Human Biology teacher allowed her to take a seat with nothing more than a brief introduction consisting only of her name. She continued to spy familiar faces and hear her name on the tips of everyone's tongue, but it didn't bother her very much as long as they left her alone. In art she had a large desk to herself and in biology her partner treated her like she may or may not have an infectious illness, leaving her pretty much alone. By the time lunch rolled around she was glad to have some time to herself without a teacher dictating notes or instructing were art supplies should be put after their use. She dropped off the notebook she had for her science class at her locker and grabbed the book she was reading, lunch money, and her earbuds from her backpack, intending to spend the forty minutes reading by herself. She settled in quickly with the slice of pizza she purchased and her nose in the book but before she could turn on her music the sound of a chair being pulled out at the table made her look up.

"How have your classes been going?" smiled the blond as she took a seat. A quick scan of the cafeteria told Marie there were plenty of places Nazz could have sat but Nazz has settled in, a tray consisting of a salad, juice, and a couple cookies placed on the table in front of her. "The pizza here is surprisingly fantastic, I wish they delivered." she joked, amusement coloring her voice as she took the plastic covering off the chef salad and unwrapped the disposable utensils. Nazz had always been mature beyond her years, that much being as evident as her fashionable nature, but Marie never expected her even look her way, not to mention sit next to her at lunch.

"They've been going okay, nothing worth complaining about." Marie shrugged, closing her book and picking up the cheesy triangle from her tray and taking a bite. It really was good pizza. She really wanted to get further in her book, but as another familiar face approached the table she could see that wasn't going to happen.

"Salutations Nazz and Marie." The boy with the black cap beamed, pulling out a chair of his own and wiping it down with a disinfecting wipe before taking a seat.

"What's up Double D? Kevin not here yet?" Nazz replied, smiling at the gap-toothed boy. There were five seats at the table, Nazz was sitting next to Marie and Eddward was between the two remaining empty chairs.

"Kevin's presence was requested by the football coach, he texted my cellular telephone telling me he would meet me in the cafeteria." His cheeks reddened slightly as he spoke, looking down at the packed lunch in front of him. Some things never changed, including Edd's eating habits. "How are you enjoying your classes so far, Marie? Peach Creek High School is one of the top public academic establishments in this state! No doubt they are at least satisfactory. Have you found any extracurricular activity that tickled your fancy? After all, that could make a difference when you start applying for colleges." His eyes darted to her face speculatively, as if he was searching for something. _Maybe he's expecting me to tackle him across the table? Maybe I would if Kevin was in sight._ A smile snaked its way across her face, Kevin's hypothetical reaction forcing her to choke back a laugh.

"No different than my other school except the people here may be a little terrified of me." Marie responded, only half sarcastic. His last comment brought her attention to the notice she had tucked in her bag back in her locker. "I was thinking of going out for the lacrosse team." she shrugged, another student approaching the table, one she didn't recognize. He pulled out the chair between Nazz and Edd, turning it around and straddling it cooly, a smile on his face as he sat down, draping his arms over Nazz and Edd causing the latter to lean away.

"So this is the infamous Marie Kanker? Must say, it's a bit of a let down; she seems to have all her teeth and doesn't look like she can wrestle a grizzly bear." The sea-green haired teen's laugh was hearty as he began to pick at the various trays on the table, taking a cookie from Nazz's, a couple carrot sticks from one of Edd's various plastic wares, and Marie's unopened can of Coke, provoking a dirty look from everyone at the table. "What? The line is too long." came his excuse as Nazz went to snatch her cookie back unsuccessfully.

"You better not be messing with my dweeb, Nat! I already warned you about this!" came another voice, interrupting the excitement incited by Nat's lack of boundaries and causing a blush to erupt across the face of the black-capped boy on the other side of the table. Kevin approached with a tray in his hand and eyes focused on Nat's frame, a none-too-pleasant look on his face. Kevin's eyes narrowed even more as they fell on the blue-haired woman sitting a seat from Eddward, catching everyone's attention.

Kevin was pretty fast, even for a jock, something he showcased as he moved to occupy the remaining seat between Marie and Edd, practically toppling Nat over and making the legs to the metal-framed chair groan as he slammed his body down, causing Nat to let out an excited chuckle at this new discovery. Kevin pointedly turned his body away from Marie, pulling one of Edd's legs over his lap, a look of protest on Edd's face.

"But Kevin, this is a learning establishment. Physical intimacy is clearly against school rules." the boy blushed, attempting to remove his leg from his boyfriend's lap, and failing as Kevin placed a firm hand on his knee to stop him. Nat was brimming with glee between hearing Edd's phrasing of his protest, something that he still found completely adorable, and his discovery of Marie's effect on Kevin, Nat's mannerisms did not escape anyone's notice.

"So, this kid is on drugs or...?" Marie inquired, eyeing her Coke as Nat opened it and took a sip, at which point Marie relinquished custody of the beverage. Nazz let out a laugh and nodded her head enthusiastically, causing Nat to poke out his bottom lip and fix a somber look on his face, something that fooled no one. Kevin ignored the exchange.

"I must say, without a doubt, that Nat does not participate in any recreational drug use. The high school athletic department would quickly remove him from the team if that were the case." Edd's voice was reasonable as he spoke, proving the joke when right over his head. Nat perked up at this, wrapping his arms around his knight in shining armor, causing Kevin to growl as he wrenched the green-haired boys arms from around Double D, the ensuing scuffle over as quickly as it started, Nat returning to his seat rubbing the area on his head where Kevin hit him.

"This school doesn't have a women's lacrosse team, Marie. There wasn't enough participation in the school for a full team so they cut it." Nazz chimed in, redirecting the conversation to the topic before Nat and Kevin arrived.

"So? I'll try out for the boy's team then. It's not that big of a deal, I played a little in my last high school so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing." Marie shrugged her shoulders, taking another bite from her piece of pizza as she did so.

"I must warn against that, Marie. There are differences between women's and men's lacrosse. According to my studies something called 'body checking' is legal in men's. There is also a different number of players on the field and men's requires more protective padding. There is an increased probability you could be hurt. Well, I do date an avid sports fan and this is all basic information I found online." He added in response to the flabbergasted looks on the faces of the other's at the table, a furious blush erupting across his face as he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"We have cheerleading practice this afternoon, maybe I'll be able to see your tryout." Nazz added, giving Kevin a little privacy to coax Double D out of his hat as she turned the focus of the conversation back to the tryouts earning a mouthed 'thank you' from Kevin. Nat kept bouncing back and forth between the two conversation which sometimes intermingled, and that was how lunch continued for the remaining time.

* * *

Math and history were Marie's next two subjects, subjects she didn't share with any of her old or new acquaintances, and once again she was allowed to go to her seat with only a minor introduction. Nothing that happened in either of those classes really stood out in the course of the day, her history class was behind where she had been in her last school and math was as just as confusing as if the teacher was speaking Chinese as she taught it.

Marie was almost convinced by the end of the class that she may have understood it better in Chinese.

Her last class of the day was gym, so prior to the class she made her way to her locker to gather all the materials she needed for that evening; she would have needed to head to the gym area for tryouts anyway so she decided make an attempt to prepare ahead of time. Without clothing to change into Marie was directed towards the bleachers where those who were unprepared resided, finding a seat towards the bottom of the rows she made herself at home, pulling the book she intended to read at lunch from her messenger bag and cracking it open as the boy's entered the gym as well. Footsteps sounded as the boys lined up on the wall opposite the girls and the sound of shoes soon approached her, causing her look up from her book as someone sat down a couple feet from her, the smell of disinfecting stinging her nostrils.

"Greetings Marie! I hope it's okay if I sit here." Edd's voice rang out as he lowered her body onto the now-clean plastic bench. Basketballs were being passed out amongst various groups of students as Marie shrugged her shoulders, conveying her indifference. "I see you are reading. I cannot say I have ever heard of that book, is it any good?" Double D inquired. Marie assumed he was trying to make polite conversation, closing the book she slid it back into her bag and turned to face the boy, resting her back against the metal that lined both sides of the section of bleachers.

"It's a Japanese horror book. It's about a man who held an open casting call for a movie he didn't intend to produce with the intention of finding a wife. As far as I've gotten the two have started dating but he's noticed there's something off about her. There's also a movie based off the the book that has gained a pretty by cult following." The drum of the basketballs against the finished wood floor was a bit distracting, causing the girl to raise her voice as she spoke, Edd looking politely interested.

"Good heavens! No wonder I have never heard of it, I cannot say it's a genre that I am knowledgeable about." Edd smiled, his eyes fixed on a redhead in shorts jogging after a ball not far away. Kevin's eyes kept darting over at the two on the bleachers, annoyance plastered on his face as he moved.

"I never pegged you as someone who would skip gym class, won't it blemish your permanent record?" Marie joked, waving at Kevin as his green eyes darted back in their direction, distracting him enough for one of his classmates to steal the ball he was dribbling towards the basket.

"Oh, no. I'm afraid you may have misunderstood. I am not purposely sitting out of gym class, I have an excuse." Edd explained, rolling up the bottom of his dark brown corduroy pants to reveal some sort of bandage. "You see, I believe I pulled my anterior talofibular ligament and anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament in gym class last week." Marie sat forward, trying to get a better view of Edd's ankle. It did look a little swollen under the bandage wrapped around it, not that someone would have noticed. Before Marie could get a better look at the boy's ankle, however, a basketball flew past the girls head, barely missing the tip of her nose as it collided with the bleachers above, bouncing back towards the follow before rolling to a stop a few feet in front of the boy sent to retrieve it, a few feet behind him Kevin stood looking at the two on the bleachers with a smug look on his face.

"Your boyfriend's a dick." Marie said, causing Edd to gasp in protest at the vulgar way she described them. "Seriously, can you honestly say that was an accident?" she inquired, side eyeing the boy in question as he dribbled the reclaimed ball down the court. Double D looked down, shaking his head slowly back and forth, an endearing smile on his face as he fixed the bottom of his pants.

"He is protective of me, I think he may fear that you might try to steal me away."

"I'm totally in the process of doing that right now, can't you tell?" her sarcasm was made even more obvious by the roll of eyes, a smirk on her face. Double D chuckle lightly.

"I tried to tell him that he was being absurd, but he won't relent." Marie rolled her eyes once more, as the coaches started to round up the students and usher them back into the locker rooms so they could change their clothing before the final bell of the day rang. "It's been a pleasure, Marie. I hope you can sit with us at lunch again tomorrow." Edd added, waving to the blue haired girl as they parted and he rejoined his boyfriend. Her first school day was just about to finish, now all that was left was tryouts.

* * *

_Sorry if it's not as good as the first, I wasn't_

_sure what to add in as I was typing. There isn't_

_much Nazz/Marie towards the end of this chapter_

_but there is still some adorable-ness. Next chapter_

_will have more interaction between Nazz and Marie._

_Again, sorry if the grammar is off, I really need to_

_buy a new word processor._


	3. Try Outs

_I'm going to start this by letting you guys know I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about lacrosse._

_I googled most of the information I incorporated into this chapter, but it was kind of time consuming_

_and hard to write the tryouts scene. Sorry if that scene seems to drag, it'll probably be the only time_

_I include an actual description of the sport, so bear with me? Also, spelling and grammatical errors; I_

_apologize for them in advanced. I still haven't purchased a better word processor and I'm also in the_

_last week of my accounting class, which would kick anyone's ass. Again, can you bear with me please?_

_Also, the song mentioned is 'The Best of Me' by The Starting Line. I loved the song in high school_

_and when I heard it recently I was like I MUST USE THIS._

* * *

The people on the football field all stared at Marie with incredulous faces as they waited for the coach and the actual team to arrive. Because of her lack of gym clothing throughout the day she had merely taken off a few layers of her clothing and folded them into her bag before putting on some of the generic padding the student manager provided. Marie's eyes wandered over the crowd of hopefuls, some of them looked like they were built more for cleaning the equipment than using it but she kept her mouth shut, even the scrawniest freshman was probably thinking the same about her.

Her eyes were trained on the doors that lead from the gym onto the sports field, waiting for the lacrosse team, and that was how she was able to see Nazz walk onto the field dressed in her cheerleading outfit and talking animatedly to some of the other girls on the team. Before Marie could decide on a course of action her hand moved automatically, waving at the blonde who was moving toward the opposite end of the field near a section of metal bleachers. Marie retracted her hand, but it was too little too late and Nazz was already in the process of returning the salutation. If it hadn't been for the fact that the rest of the people trying out were waving back at the head cheerleader, hoping it was them in particular she was waving at, they would have all seen her embarrassed blush.

_But my heart shouldn't be racing._ She thought, pulling her right arm across her chest, the movement a little harder than it should have been because of the bulky shoulder pads.

"Alright, everyone trying out line up opposite the actual team." The coach's voice rang out, snapping her out of a daze. There were eight people standing in official uniforms, smirks on their faces as their eyes ran over their perspective teammates. Two out of the ten people lined up opposite the team would be passed on if they were good enough and as their eyes fell on Marie chuckles began to erupt among the group.

"Coach, I think Smurfette here is confused, cheerleading tryouts are on the other side of the field." piped up one of the players, causing the coach to smirk as he tried to get his team to calm down.

"Regulations state that if there is no female team in a high school girls are allowed to try out for the only team available of the sport in question. If she makes the cut, she makes the cut. Until then hold your tongue until I finish briefing the newbies." And that was how tryouts began. Running laps didn't bother Marie, nor did throwing the ball back and forth between the partner she was set up with, and she kept up with ease. Eventually the coach blew the whistle for the eighteen lacrosse players to gather around. In the distance Marie could see Nazz and the other cheerleaders sitting on the bleachers watching the lacrosse tryouts with their feet up, Marie's arm almost went up involuntarily again but it was an impulse she contained, instead pointedly fixing her attention on the coach.

"We're going to split up in teams of nine, four teams players on each team and five newbies. Decide among yourselves who will be on who's team while I run in and grab a notebook I forgot." With that the coach turned, leaving the eighteen teenagers to make their decision. It was pretty quickly that the actual team split into two sets of four, and from there they went about dividing up the remaining players.

'

"Seeing as you guys got our strongest offensive player you get Smurfette, that way you have a handicap." the boy from earlier laughed, causing the number 13 on his chest to rise and fall. Marie narrowed her eyes but said nothing as she went to join her makeshift team, which cause groans to echo from player to player. By the time the coach returned they were evenly divided, Marie's team with orange shreds of fabric tied to their ankles.

"Good, good. Alright, now that we're even you all should know most of the rules, body checking is legal but don't try to bruise your teammate's organs. It doesn't matter which side wins and which side loses, I just want to see your skill." The silver whistle when to the coach's lips as everyone got into their positions, and with one loud, quick sound the game began.

At first it went without incident, the ball going between teams as everyone tried to show off their skills. The first goal was made by a team member on the other team, the second by Marie herself. Within a half an hour of the start of the game her team's score was nearly double that of the other team and she had made quite a number of the goals herself, the coach blew his whistle to indicate there was only another ten minutes left of the game before it would be time to call it quits, and that was when Marie felt the cold metal of the shaft of a lacrosse stick meet her ankle, causing her to trip.

"Jesus fucking christ dude, what is your problem?" Marie spat from the grass, rubbing the injured leg as her teammates ran over to help her up. Number 13 just shrugged, eyeing the coach to make sure he didn't see what had happened. Marie herself didn't see whether or not it was actually intentional, but a gut feeling told her it was because his team scored right after she hit the grass.

Standing up the ball was in play again, and Marie inserted herself into the action with relative ease, chasing after the ball as it made its way down the field toward her team's goal, Number 13 at the head of the group cradling the small object as he went. Marie smirked, picking up speed as the throbbing in her ankle died down she threw her body forward, catching up with the boy before he got all the way down the field.

Marie slammed her shoulder into Number 13, knocking his breath out and causing the ball to drop from his stick. Scooping the ball up proved no hassle and it wasn't long before she had sunk the hard rubber ball into the net on the other side of the field, leaving some of the players with their mouths agape. She jogged back to the boy, still on the ground trying to recover the breath she had stolen from him, and leaned in close.

"Seriously though, Smurfette if fucking blonde, if you want to call me something try Sailor Mercury or something so you at least sound like you fucking know what you're talkin' about." Applause had erupted from the bleachers as the cheerleaders began to wave their pom-poms around, calling out Marie's name as the boy on the ground wallowed in his anger and the coach made notes in his book. Marie turned around as the whistle blew, walking toward the box of equipment on the ground. Before she could make it even halfway she felt two hands press firmly into her shoulder blades, pushing her with the strength that rivaled perpetrators entitlement complex, causing Marie to hit the ground a few feet away from where she had been pushed.

"Dude, what the fuck is your problem?" rang the voice of another team member, a white number 32 on his jersey, as Marie stood up, her jeans even more grass stained than before. Before the he had time to chuckle or even blink Marie pulled of her helmet and balled her fist, bring her arm back as she ran at the kid, who had left his own helmet on the ground where he had fallen previously during the game. Before her knuckles could meet his face, however, the coach had grabbed her wrist.

"You know better than this, Wesley, poor sportsmanship is what makes you a loser, not the score. Get back to the rest of the team before I suspend you from it." The coach released Marie's hand as soon as Wesley had put some distance between them. "He's a jerk, I get that, but you cannot deck your teammates." Marie didn't immediately catch had been said, but as he turned to walk away she thanked him.

"That was a dick move Wesley." Marie heard Nazz yell as the two teams walked back toward the gym for the locker rooms. Marie wasn't going to take a shower just yet; why bother? She would only have to put her dirty clothing back on, so instead she began to make her way through the school, aiming for the front door. She walked with no purpose, dragging her feet slowly as she passed her English classroom, locker, and cafeteria. If anyone had actually seen her, they probably would have mistaken her for a zombie, and her slight limp didn't help situations much. _That's going to be a nasty bruise in the morning._

It took a lot longer than it should have for her to finally make it through the school, her pace wasn't exactly the fastest and she didn't exactly have somewhere to be. By the time she could feel the early spring sun on her face again she was a bit chilled, not wanting to pull on her cardigan and get it dirty. The sound of a car turning over immediately met her ears as she closed the heavy front doors behind her. A quick look towards the school parking lot told Marie that the car in question was a relatively new silver Honda and as Marie got closer she also saw that they were there alone, no other cars were in the parking lot. Marie moved closer to the car as it continued to turn over and not start. The person in the driver's seat was barely visible as the hood was opened from a button under the dash and it wasn't until the owner walked around that Marie realized exactly who the care belonged to.

"Oh, hey Marie." Nazz chirped, clearly perturbed by the way the vehicle wouldn't start, her eyes roamed the engine looking for something that could be the issue, but finding nothing. "You should just ignore Wesley, he's kind of a jerk, y'know? He's one of those sexist pigs who think they make all women weak in the knees." Her eyes were still roaming the engine as she spoke and Marie could see the tip of her tongue hanging out of the corner of her mouth as she focused and that's when she realized she had started to stare.

"I can take a look for you, at the engine I mean." she offered, looking to the ground and noticing for the first time exactly how dirty her clothing was.

"Would you? It would certainly beat waiting for my dad to get out of work or calling Kevin." she beamed as Marie dropped her bag on the pavement and began to look over the engine. She made quick work of the issue, excelling at mechanics and the like, and before Nazz could read more than a few pages in their English book the car was running smoothly. "Thank you so much, Marie. What would I have done without you?" Nazz threw her arms around the girl in an excited hug, making Marie place her arms out to hold her back.

"I'm fucking filthy, you're going to ruin your top." she said quickly, worried she had hurt Nazz's feelings. Nazz, however, smiled.

"Really, thank you. Would you like a ride or something? It's not like it's out of the way." Marie shook her head, not wanting to ruin the upholstery in the vehicle. "I will absolutely take no for an answer, you know."

It took a little bit of pouting from Nazz and some stammering from Marie, but eventually she was sitting on her cardigan in the front seat of the Honda as Nazz was pulling out of parking lot. Nazz pressed the little button that turned on the radio and plugged her phone into the AUX port and soon the car was filled with music.

"You actually have some good taste." Marie exclaimed as a song she recognized poured from the speakers. Nazz looked at her with an expression of fake offense as she hummed along to the song, causing Marie to look down at her hand and bite the inside of her cheek.

"It's actually a good song." she responded brightly in a slightly sarcastic tone. "But seriously, you tore it up on the field today. I knew you were tough but the way you floored Wesley, just about shattered his self-esteem." As she spoke Marie noticed there wasn't much more distance they had to travel before they would have been in view of the trailer park and she was surprised to find herself wishing they would miss every light. They made small talk for the rest of the way to Marie's place, and their goodbye was quick as Marie climbed out of the vehicle and waved as Nazz headed for her own home.

What was most surprising of that afternoon, however, was as Nazz drove the remaining two blocks to her own house she kept running the happenings of the day over and over in her head, focusing on the parts that involved Marie.


	4. The Next Day

_Okay, this chapter is probably the shortest thus far, and for that_

_I am sorry, but it was really just to give a buffer and show how she_

_is getting along with the other Peach Creek kids. There are a lot_

_of movies mentioned in this chapter, all of which are really good._

_Next chapter will be a little more interesting and fun, I should have_

_it up soon, by the end of next week. If you want to see a visual of_

_Nazz, Marie, Kevin, and Edd's outfits my polyvore username is_

_missavize (just like on here and tumblr) so go check that out. And_

_reviews are very much appreciated, I love reading them and I think_

_I'll start writing them. Enjoy! Also! I've been looking for more_

_friends on Skype, add me if you'd like: lediscospider _

* * *

"Tell me what you thought about when you were gone and so alone. The worst is over, you can have the best of me." Marie's voice was low as she walked to school singing the song she had stuck in her head since the ride home from Nazz the previous day. When she had entered the trailer after arriving home she was met with her sister who seemed to have a good first day, but she barely heard anything May had said, eventually provoking annoyance from the younger girl. The rest of the night happened without incident, their mother came home around eight, practically swallowed what was on her plate whole and took her spot on the couch watching what prime time television shows were on and laughing loudly well into the night. Marie and May learned very early on in their lives to just ignore it and after a warm shower and a change of clothing Marie had fallen asleep with relative ease, the Excedrin she had take quelling her throbbing ankle.

A small beep from behind her made Marie just about jump out of her leather jacket and as she turned on her heel a silver Honda came into her view, slowing down to roll into place next to her. Nazz was smiling widely from the drivers seat as Marie bent over to look through the passenger's side window. "Are you trying to send me into premature cardiac arrest or are you just that happy to see me?" Marie joked, the window was now rolled all the way down and she could feel the heat from the vents on her face.

"Well, this isn't a banana in my pocket, if you know what I mean." Nazz's retort caused both the girls to deadpan and Marie instinctively caught herself glancing down at Nazz's lap, a movement the blonde didn't miss. As their eyes fell back on one another they both burst out in laughter. "Sorry, sorry. Nat rubs off on people pretty easily, he's the king of charisma after all."

"I thought it was the king of crystal meth but whatever, I've been wrong before." A new set of laughs erupted between the two and Nazz moved her hand to unlock the passengers door from the panel on the door of her car.

"Get in, I'll give you a lift." Marie didn't protest this time, her clothing was clean and she was sure the only thing arguing would do is waste time. She slid into the car with ease, her leather jacket making it hard to lift her arms and buckle the seat belt. "Hold still, I'll get it." Nazz unbuckled herself and leaned over the blue-haired girl, reaching for the seat belt and causing her hair to fall out from behind her ear. Marie could smell whatever scent Nazz was wearing, it was obviously expensive and there was a subtle hint of pomegranate and passion fruit, but before she could fully place it she heard metallic clinking as she was buckled in followed by its mirror as Nazz re-buckled her own. "Doesn't it suck when designers pick fashion over function?" Nazz smiled as she shifted the car out of park.

"Oh yes, I absolutely loathe when that happens." The sarcasm was evident in her voice and she moved to unzip the black jacket and pull her arms out of the sleeves. Nazz's fashion comment caused Marie to look over the driver for the first time since she got into the vehicle, it was clear from the first glance that Nazz was up on the current trends and she looked as though she jumped out of an advertisement for GAP or American Eagle. The blonde had her bobbed hair tucked under a black bowler hat, she donned a printed long sleeve top with outlines of birds across her torso over which she wore a burgundy blazer, a pair of gray corduroy skinny pants graced her legs and on her feet black heels, her make up pulling the outfit together with eye shadow that matched the blazer in color and black mascara.

The high school came into view in a matter of minutes and Nazz pulled into the same parking spot she had been in yesterday when Marie found her trying to start her car. Not many people we buzzing about outside and a glance at the clock on the dashboard before Nazz pulled her key out of ignition told Marie there was still over a half an hour before the first bell would ring.

"Hey, thanks for the ride." Marie's left hand went up and she rubbed the back of her neck as the two girls walked toward the door leading into the school, her leather coat draped over her right arm. They made their way towards the cafeteria, stopping at their respective lockers so they could organize their stuff for their first period and ditch the bulky coat. When they finally arrived Marie's eyes scanned the growing wave of people as Nazz guided her toward their destination, and it wasn't until Marie heard a familiar groan that she realized exactly what that was.

"Did you have to bring her, Nazz?" Kevin's lips pulled down into a scowl as he spoke and his arm moved protectively over Edd's shoulders and Double D smiled greetings at the two from under Kevin's arm, fixing his beanie.

"Did I miss a memo or something?" The voice came this time from behind Marie and before she could turn Nat plopped down next to Kevin, eyeing the three black hats atop Nazz, Edd, and Kevin's heads. "Are we starting a new faction of the mafia or something? Can I be the Godfather?" Laughs erupted from the five teens as the girls moved to take the remaining two seats, Marie opting to put Nazz between herself and Kevin. "So, I heard our resident smurf made the team, how does that make you feel?" Nat held his hand out in front of Marie, a pen standing in for his imagined microphone, and he contorted his face into one of mock seriousness as he waited for an answer.

"Smurfs don't even have blue hair y'dick, did news of tryouts really travel that fucking fast?" Marie's face sours and Nat pulled his hand away, chuckling like he remembered a funny joke or anecdote.

"Nothing is sacred in high school, Marie, didn't you know?" Edd chimed, still pulled against Kevin's side. "Kevin knew before we said our goodbyes for the evening, apparently you've made quite a name for yourself already, Wesley's rather perturbed by it." Marie rolled her eyes, leaning forward on her elbows at the table as Nat proceed to question and dissect every part of Kevin and Edd's evening causing Double D to retreat into his hat and blush furiously.

At first Marie wasn't sure how she ended up on the floor, her butt meeting the tile with a small jolt of pain and the metal legs of her chair scraping as it slide out from under her, but when her eyes fell on the thick boy standing over her she grimaced. Wesley looked eight feet tall from her current position on the floor when in reality he was just over six foot, he had a broad face and deep set eyes with a hairstyle that looked way overdue for a trim. His face contorted into what Marie assumed was a menacing scowl.

"So, you going to drop your pants right here and take a shit or do you think you can make it to the bathroom without incident?" Marie pulled herself up with ease, Nazz was glaring at the lacrosse player and Nat and Kev were trying to stifle their laughter unsuccessfully, Edd looked horrified. "I don't have time for your shit, what do you want?" Marie shifted her weight as she spoke, crossing her arms and trying to look uninterested. Truth was she was shifting her weight off her ankle, when she met the tile the way she did it caused her ankle to bounce off a leg of the table hitting the bruise that had formed overnight. Wesley just laughed and turned to rejoin other members of the lacrosse team who were cackling a couple tables over as the bell rang.

"What a dick." came Nazz's voice after they bid farewell to Nat, Edd, and Kevin. Kevin had class with them but insisted on walking Edd to his class first, asking Nazz to cover for him with the teacher if he was late. Before Marie could respond they had already reached the classroom, and it wasn't long after that class began.

* * *

"So, where's Ed and Eddy?" Marie asked as Edd sat down at the table. Kevin and Nat were in line to get food, something Nazz and Marie had already done. Edd placed his lunchbox on the table and began to meticulously arrange his food before opening the many vacuum sealed containers.

"Eddy's lunch isn't at the same times. Being that the cafeteria's capacity cannot hold all students at once they were forced to include two lunch periods, one for ninth and tenth graders and one for eleventh and twelfth graders." Edd explained, pulling a slice of pear out of one of the containers and inspecting it before taking a bit. "As far as Ed goes, he is transported to a separate school. His inability to focus proved too much for the staff on hand and his parents opts for a facility more equipped for his particular needs. With the extra attention his grades have skyrocketed and I believe he is an asset to their wrestling team."

"So, football practice was cancelled, turns out the coach's kid is sick." Kevin announced as he reached the table with Nat. "So, me and Nat- sorry, Nat and I have the afternoon off." The ahem from Double D did nothing to distract from the conversation and Kevin automatically corrected his grammatical error without missing a beat.

"Awesome, we should go to a movie or something, it's not often we all have an afternoon off." Nazz was picking at a turkey wrap as she spoke, removing the tomato before rolling it back up and taking a bit. Nat nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion, his mouth too full of a burger to voice his agreement.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Nazz. I had already scheduled to watch Kevin and Nathan practice, so my afternoon is free as well." Double D added, struggling to open the bottle of juice he pulled from his bag. Kevin reached over automatically and opened the container, handing it back without looking at the blushing male.

"What about you Marie? You can come, right? Don't think you can leave me with these three on my own." Nazz looked up at Marie, who was just about to finish the piece of pizza on her tray, and Marie couldn't help but nod under Nazz's gaze. Something about the fashionable teen made it hard to say no, something Marie couldn't quite put her finger on, and as Nazz clapped her hands together and ran through the titles of currently playing movies with the other Marie couldn't help but look at the animated way she spoke, or how her nose wrinkled a little when she smiled and laughed.

"Earth to Marie." Nat's voice chimed snapping her out of her daze, when she looked up she had four sets of eyes on her. "So, does Mama work for you too?"

****It took Marie a minute to comprehend what Nat was asking but when it did click she nodded hastily, she had been very interested in seeing that movie and she loved Guillermo Del Toro's work, especially The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth. The conversation continued to plan out that afternoon's excursion and Marie soon noticed that even Kevin seemed to be getting use to her presence as they decide who would ride with who, which horror movie was the best, and the reason why The Evil Dead is such a cult classic. By the time the bell rang to signal the end of lunch and beginning of math Marie could hardly believe the time passed as quickly as it did, Marie still insisting that Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs was superior in all ways to his more popular Nightmare on Elm Street.


End file.
